Morphing martini recipe

Make your annual Halloween bash the best one yet with this mesmerizing martini. Not only does it change colors from blue to fuchsia (and back again), it lets off a spooky waft of white vapor. Double, double, toil and trouble!

Before we get started with the recipe, we thought we’d drop a little science on you. While it ends up tasting much like a dirty martini, this cocktail has no olives. The ingredient that gives this drink its dazzling effect is red cabbage water. (What?)

Red cabbage water is the purple water created from steeping chopped red cabbage in hot water. The cabbage contains anthocyanin (a pH indicator, which basically means it changes things colors so you’ll know what its pH is). The dry ice being added to the solution changes the pH, causing the solution to change color.

Caution: Use rubber cleaning gloves to handle the dry ice. Instruct your guests not to drink the beverage until the dry ice has completely melted, and the drink is no longer bubbling. Don’t leave children unattended around dry ice.

Morphing martini recipe

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 leaf red cabbage, chopped or shredded

Water (enough to cover the cabbage)

2 ounces gin or vodka

1/2 splash vermouth

Pinch baking soda

1 small chunk dry ice (about dime size)

Directions:

Cover the cabbage with water and microwave it on high until boiling (four to six minutes). It should turn a deep purple color.

Pour about a tablespoon of the cabbage water into the bottom of a martini glass and add a pinch of baking soda. (The glass should be large enough to hold all the fluid and leave about an inch of air at the top.)

Add gin or vodka and a bit of vermouth (about 1/6 of an ounce). The mixture should now be light blue in color.

When you’re ready to serve, drop the dry ice into the drink. It will immediately begin to bubble. Then, it will change from blue to a deep purple as it smokes.